


here

by buries



Series: [challenge] fandomweekly fills [14]
Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Community: fandomweekly, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Missing Scene, References to Depression, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28087218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buries/pseuds/buries
Summary: Elena tries to help Stefan begin to live a life without her.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore
Series: [challenge] fandomweekly fills [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909810
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: FandomWeekly (2019-2021) Writing Challenge on Dreamwidth





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**Author's Note:**

> This was written for fandomweekly's #7 Amnesty for prompts "martyr" and "I need your help, I can't fight this forever."
> 
> This is set somewhere in 2b. I really enjoyed writing this one. Unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. Thanks for reading!

_I need your help._

She should say it. Elena looks at Stefan and smiles. Her fingertips are warmed by his big, rough hands. They sit on the edge of her bed, his knee against hers. Mystic Falls is quiet for once—and perhaps she shouldn’t say that at all, but she thinks it. Thinks it hard and wills it into existence for a lot longer than a night.

Elena wonders if this will be the last time they’re here together. Her room looks so full with him in it. Her gaze drinks him in, committing every inch of him to memory—hair, neck, shoulders, the way he sits comfortably on her bed when she’s seen him stand and sit so stiffly in the Boarding House.

She doesn’t want to forget, even though, in death, she knows she will.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

_I can’t fight this forever._

She doesn’t say it. Presses her lips together firmly and nods. Her words are muffled with an affirmative hum. 

Biting her bottom lip, she stops herself from saying it. She doesn’t need his help. She’s okay. She’ll survive this. She can’t burden him, not anymore.

He smiles, his face brightening. She wants to reach out and touch the corners of his eyes. It’s a habit of hers, but she stops herself. She wants him to get used to not feeling her touch at all. 

Stefan tilts his head to the side and eyes her gently. "You sure? You seem like you’re a million miles away."

She laughs softly. "I’m right here, Stefan," she says. Fingers pressing hard into his, she grips his hands like she’s able to chain them together. She never wants to let go. She’s selfish and she’s recklessly brave and stupid, and she never wants to let him go. "With you. I’m here with you."

"Uh huh," he says, smiling. His voice is warm and it sends a shiver down her spine. Her fingers press firmly into his and his respond, mimicking her gesture gently. His pinky could snap her hand into tiny pieces if he so much as tried, but she knows he won’t. With Stefan, she’s safe. With Stefan, she knows she doesn’t have to worry about fighting.

Klaus will come and huff and puff and blow down her house, but Stefan will remain standing beside her. Tall, unwavering, warm. He’ll stand in the ruins of Elena Gilbert despite her best attempts to push him away.

She should push him away, but the one thing they never say about a selfless girl is just how selfish she is deep down.

Letting go of one of her hands, he reaches up to brush his fingers against the side of her face. "This is the first time we’ve had the house to ourselves and I feel like you’re not even here," he says warmly, jokingly.

Elena only smiles, tilting her head into his hand. She’s here, even if she won’t be forever. She gives him this; she wants to selfishly remember how his fingertips felt before she dies. He’s too warm and too soft for a vampire. He holds her like she’s his most prized memory.

"I’m here," she says quietly. "I’m here with you. Always and forever."

Brushing his thumb against the corner of her eye, she bats her lashes and he laughs loudly. She leans forward and slopes her mouth gently against his, his smile warm against hers.

She can’t do this alone, but with a squeeze of her hand, she tells him quietly she must.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at [Tumblr.](http://finnicks.tumblr.com)


End file.
